Book 14: The Unpleasant Unknown
by Shiny Snicket
Summary: Did you really think that THE END was the end? The end is never the end and the Baudelaires will discover this as they face a betrayal, a terrible fire, a giant noodle, a huge reunion and suspicious police. If you want to be safe, then do NOT read this.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **After reading ASOUE fanfics for a while I thought I'd give it a shot myself. Set after Book Thirteen. My own idea of a Book Fourteen. *Holds for applause*

**Disclaimer:** I am not Lemony Snicket. I do not own ASOUE or any of its characters. I have never claimed ownership of them, despite what it said in '_The Daily Punctilio_' last year.

---

Unless you are from Ancient Rome, or simply someone who has read a lot of books, you are probably not familiar with the language of Latin. There is a Latin term that I would like to use, but I may have to translate it as most Ancient Romans are long since dead and most well-read people have fallen victims to fires. The term is '_caveat lector_'. Like other Latin phrases, such as '_ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt_', which translates as 'the fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling' and '_dum spiro spero_', which translates as 'while I breathe, I hope', this phrase is still used on this day, if you look hard enough. It means 'let the reader beware'. It is simply impossible to think of a phrase which applies to this book more than 'caveat lector'. Before I begin to describe what horrible problems the Baudelaire orphans will face, I will give you one last warning. Even if you have survived the first thirteen volumes of this series, I can't promise that you'll survive this one. They were just appetizers. The word 'appetizer' usually refers to a small portion of a food or drink served before or at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the desire to eat. In this case, it means that the first thirteen books describe only the beginning of the Baudelaire orphan's troubles. If you thought that THE END was the end of the end, then you were wrong, for the end is never the end and THE END was only the beginning of the beginning of the end of the beginning. I hope you have fallen asleep from that last sentence, so you do not have to read the rest of this story, because you'll soon realise that there is evil out there far worse than the now-deceased Count Olaf. I repeat one last time:

**Caveat lector.**

It was Decision Day at the island when Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire left with Beatrice, the daughter of Kit Snicket, who asked the Baudelaire to take care of her before Kit's death. They have stayed at the island for a year and since their parents had been killed in a fire, it was the first year of peace that they ever got to enjoy. According to my sources, it may have also been their last year of peace. This peace ended abruptly and suddenly as Klaus pointed ahead of their boat. All four passengers looked and immediately saw it. It was a storm, but it wasn't only a storm. It was a deadly storm.

_"Look! It's a storm!"_, Klaus exclaimed.

_"It's not only a storm. It's a deadly storm"_, added Violet.

A brief silence occurred. The boat was now too close to the storm for Violet to invent a way to turn the boat around. Her inventing skills were useless in this situation. Klaus thought about the books he had read on storms and the books he had read about boats, but he couldn't think of anything useful. His knowledge was useless in this situation. Sunny was sure that she could fix a delicious Mexican dish called arroz con pollo, but it would have done no good, except for preventing the orphans from having to face the storm on empty stomachs. Her cooking abilities were useless in this situation.

_"What do we do?_", asked Sunny, having to shout over the fierce waves that grew closer and closer. The Baudelaires (plus Beatrice) had almost entered the storm.

_"I don't know. I don't think there's anything we can do"_, answered Violet.

_"Maybe we don't have to do anything. We can see where the storm takes us. That's how we got to the island in the first place,"_ Klaus said doubtfully.

_"Or we could capsize"_, added Sunny. They were all aware of that possibility, but none of them wanted to think about it.

_"It's a risk we'll have to take. There's nothing else we can do except for being passive", _admitted Klaus. _"Sometimes, you can't escape fate. There's a Latin phrase that means the fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling, but I can't remember what it is."_

_"Scared"_, said Beatrice. After months of research, I am still unaware of what the daughter of Kit Snicket and Dewey Denouement actually meant. I have put more and more babies onto boats that were entering storms, but none of them said anything. All they did was cry. However, my guess would be that she meant something along the lines of '_I am scared_'.

The storm got fiercer and fiercer and the boat rocked more and more. Klaus had to hold onto his glasses so that they would not fall into the water. Violet held onto her hair-ribbon tightly in fear of losing it. Sunny held on to Beatrice in fear of losing her, even though she wasn't much older than Beatrice herself and was equally at risk of falling off the boat. In fact all of them were at risk of falling. They all knew that the boat could capsize. As an old associate of mine named Murphy once said, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy is gone now. He died in a fire that destroyed an entire dairy, but his law lives on. There was a lot that could have went wrong. It all did.

Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice all took one last breath of air before the boat was turned completely upside-down and later began to be torn apart.

**Caveat Lector.**


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Here's chapter two. Thanks to Gypsy Rosalie and Tabithatibi for the comments.

Disclaimer: I am still not Lemony Snicket. I still do not own ASOUE or any of its characters. I have still never claimed ownership of them, despite what Geraldine Julienne wrote in her article,_ 'author claims to be another author' _in the _Daily Punctilio_.

---

If you have ever fallen hurt yourself and became unconscious from it, you probably know how it feels, unless you happened to hurt yourself again and acquire amnesia. If you have not been in such a situation, allow me to fill you in.

The Baudelaire all awoke at approximately the same time (or so my sources tell me) and felt the effects of the feeling I just mentioned. First they looked around them, wondering where they were. Then the pain kicked in and they couldn't concentrate on anything except for their wounds. Sunny had fallen on her back, but she didn't have any injuries except for a sore back, which I have now as I type this on my typewriter. Violet hit on her face off the ground and tasted blood on her lip. However, she also avoided any major injuries. Klaus fell on top of Violet and got away injury-free. I'm sure that you're wondering where they fell and if you aren't, then you're not reading as enthusiastically as you should be. They fell off the boat, into the water and into the hatch of a submarine, which looked like a giant question mark from above. They did not know the real name of this submarine, but Kit Snicket once referred to it as the Great Unknown.

"_Ow, I hit my head"_, complained Violet.

"_I got a sore back"_, added Sunny.

"_Where's Beatrice?"_ Klaus said, panicking.

The three Baudelaires looked around them and then began to panic together. The truth is that Beatrice was wearing a life jacket, so she stayed afloat on the water when Sunny fell down. The boat began to get torn apart by the storm and a piece of wood with a sharp edge broke off the boat and hit Beatrice's life jacket. You probably know that a life jacket is a sleeveless jacket of buoyant or inflatable construction, for supporting the wearer in deep water and removing the risk of drowning. Please pay particular attention to the word 'inflatable'. Unless you have been living in an island that doesn't allow you to keep anything but a white robe and a shell of coconut cordial, then you'll know that to be inflated is to expand with air or gas. Violet inflated the life jacket before they left, but if you have ever stepped on a balloon, whether you are a volunteer,who accidentally tripped on it whilst trying to get to a masked ball, or an evil person who enjoys torturing innocent balloons, you'll know that anything inflatable can burst. That's what happened to Beatrice's life jacket when the sharp-ended piece of wood hit the life jacket. Beatrice fell into the submarine a couple of minutes after the Baudelaires has fallen unconscious.

"_What's that?_", asked Sunny, pointing to a tiny lump in the corner of this dark place where the Baudelaires were unfortunate to find themselves.

All three Baudelaires got back up to their feet and saw Beatrice lying on the ground, with a huge bump on her head.

"Oh no!", shrieked Sunny, worrying for Beatrice's safety.

"Beatrice!" shouted Violet, hoping to hear a response.

Klaus, the most well-read of the three, gently picked Beatrice up. He checked that she had an open airway, that she was still breathing and that she had a pulse. He examined the bump on her head and turned to his siblings to tell them his diagnosis, a word which here means the conclusion he reached from examining Beatrice's condition.

"_She'll be okay. She's just unconscious"_, he told them.

"_Phew"_ said Violet. She wasn't referring to a wrongly-spelt version of the word _'few', _but rather an expression that can show fatigue, shock, disgust or in this case, relief. "I haven't been so anxious since Sunny was infected by the medusoid mycelium. I'm so relieved that she's okay."

"_Ha ha ha ho!"_ laughed a very deep and familiar voice.

"_He he he ha!"_ laughed a very high voice that was equally familiar.

The two people who were laughing, I'm sorry to say, were the man with a beard but no hair and the woman with hair but no beard. They came closer to the Baudelaires, who saw that one of Count Olaf's old associates, Fernald the hook-handed man, was with them.

"_Ho ho ho he!"_ laughed the woman with hair but no beard, _"You're never going to be relieved again, Baudelaires. It's been a long time since we last met. I must say I was mildly disappointed when I found out that you survived your little trip down Stricken Stream."_

"_Ha he ho hu!"_ laughed the man with a beard with no hair. _"Stealing this submarine from the previous owners really has been worth the trouble. First we catch the Queequeg and the self-sustaining hot-air balloon. Now we have the Baudelaires. Now that they're all in our clutches and that the Snickets are all dead, we have finally triumphed."_

"_Actually, I heard that one of the Snickets is still alive"_, added Fernald. It was the first time they had heard Fernald speak since they escaped the Queequeg to meet Kit Snicket in a taxi at Briny Beech.

"_Don't worry about him. All his does is sit at his typewriter all day. Now, Hooky, take the new prisoners to the brig. That's a fancy name for the jail cell. I'm sure it'll be a nice reunion"_, said the woman with hair but no beard. _"Hew ho he ha!"_

The man with a beard but no hair and the woman with hair but no beard walked out of the Baudelaire orphan's sight, laughing as the went. Fernald didn't say a word to them as he proceeded to lead Violet, who was holding an unconscious Beatrice, to the brig along with Klaus and Sunny. He threw the Baudelaires into a jail cell. It was quite a big cell, but considering the amount of people in it, it was much too small. All three of them were shocked.

Unless you are a contortionist like one of the old enemies of the Baudelaires, it is physically impossible to make your head spin. If an author writes that his characters heads span, it is a simple phrase to say that they were overwhelmed by the sudden and shocking situation. The woman with hair but no beard mentioned that there would be a reunion, but the Baudelaires did not expect to have so many reunions at once. Violet's head span when she saw Quigley, Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. Klaus' head span when he saw Fiona and Captain Widdershins. Sunny's head span when she saw Hector, who made nice Mexican food, and Phil, who helped her cook aboard the Queequeg.

The Baudelaires' heads were spinning as so many old friends walked back into their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** The enthusiasm of Tabithatibi's comment has convinced me to officially start the presses again. I'm going to try my best to finish it this time.

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. Well, this disclaimer actually has nothing to do with a rotating implement that should never ever ever ever ever be in the reach of children. Rather, I am using a phrase which here describes how I am once again stating that I do not own 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.

There is very little that can cheer you up when you've been thrown into the brig of a giant submarine by a man who has hooks instead of hands. One thing that can cheer you up in this situation is the news that a certain sugar bowl has been retrieved. Another is the news that your favourite book has survived the fire that destroyed your entire home. Another is a book called 'the Littlest Elf', which may be boring, but can always cheer one up. I suggest you go and read a fan-fiction of that book instead, because though the Baudelaires found something that cheered them up, their happiness won't last long. They didn't find a sugar bowl or a good book or a mischievous elf. They found their friends. Just being near their good friends made the brig feel like a sanctuary, rather than a dirty, cramped cell.

"_Quigley!"_ shouted Violet.

"_Klaus!"_ shouted Fiona.

"_Violet!"_ shouted Quigley Quagmire.

"_Fiona!"_ shouted Klaus.

"_Aye!"_ shouted Captain Widdershins.

"_Quagmires!"_ shouted Sunny.

"_Sunny!"_ shouted Duncan Quagmire.

"_Klaus!" _shouted Isadora Quagmire.

"_Aye!"_ shouted Captain Widdershins.

"_Baudelaires!"_ shouted Phil.

"_Phil!"_ shouted Sunny.

"_Baudelaires!_" shouted Hector.

"_Hector!"_ shouted Violet.

"_Aye!" _shouted Captain Widdershins.

"_Captain Widdershins!"_ shouted Klaus.

"_Aye!"_ shouted Captain Widdershins.

Even if it was only for a moment, the Baudelaires forgot that they were prisoners of two not-very-well-read people who were once associates of Count Olaf. They forgot that the baby whom they were caring for was still unconscious. They were just happy to see their friends again and so was everyone else in the small, cramped jail cell. Violet felt delighted and Klaus felt overjoyed and Sunny felt ecstatic and Fiona felt jubilant and Captain Widdershins felt like he wanted to randomly shout "Aye!" and Quigley felt blissful and Duncan felt joyful and Isadora felt thrilled and Beatrice felt unconscious and Hector felt satisfied and Phil felt over the moon and Fernald, who was still outside the cell, felt annoyed.

"_I can't believe you're all here."_ Violet said delightfully. She turned to Quigley. _"I missed you."_

Quigley ran up to Violet and embraced her. Nobody was able to see it, but Violet was quietly crying.

"_What happened?"_ asked Klaus inquisitively, a word which here means that Klaus was curious about what happened to all of his old friends.

"_We were captured by the Great Unknown then... Fernald... betrayed us"_, answered Fiona, struggling to let the last two words out. One tear fell down her cheek as she finished the sentence. Klaus, noting her emotional pain, took a step towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. This made Isadora Quagmire cringe, for reasons which I have been unsuccessful at identifying.

"_I didn't betray you"_, said an irritated Fernald. 'Irritated' is a word which here means that he was annoyed that Fiona told the Baudelaires that he betrayed them. _"I just came back to the winning team."_

"_But that can mean the same thing"_, said Klaus. It is not grammatically correct to start a sentence with a conjunction such as 'but'. But Klaus didn't care about grammar at this point as he was overwhelmed by the situation and of course, by Fiona's pain..

"_Shut up!"_ Fernald ordered Klaus, "_They're not the same thing and I suggest you stay on my good side, or else I'll to get the tagliatelle grande! I heard that being hit with it is an unpleasant and somewhat sticky experience. Joining the crew of this submarine was the right decision. Now, Olaf might take me back into his troupe when he finds me."_

"_Olaf is dead!"_, Sunny blurted to the hook-handed man.

"_No. He can't be. You're a liar. Because of that, I'm getting the tagliatelle grande. I hope you're happy!"_

Obviously, Fernald was simply using a phrase and actually hoped that Sunny was very unhappy. As Fernald left, the Baudelaires began to tell their story to their cellmates, a term which here means 'mates who were in the cell'. Violet cried when she explained what happened when Kit Snicket brought them to Hotel Denouement. Klaus weeped when he explained what happened when they were castaways on the island. Sunny sobbed as she explained what happened when they left the island with Beatrice. By the end of the story, not only the Baudelaires, but everyone in the cell was upset, with the sole exception of Phil. This was not the only miserable story to be told in this cell. Quigley began to explain what led them to be in the brig of this gigantic submarine.

"_After I was separated from you", Quigley began, "I was helped out of Stricken Stream by Kit Snicket. She brought me to her brother's house. Since her brother was missing, she let me stay there while she went to Hotel Denouement. She told me that you were on the Queequeg and asked me to send you a Volunteer Factual Dispatch while she was on her way to Briny Beech to collect you. I didn't want the telegram to fall into the wrong hands, so I sent you the poems. I hoped that you knew about Verse Fluctuation Declaration so that it would work."_

"_It worked perfectly, Quigley"_, said Violet with a smile.

"_I know. Kit told me when she returned. She also told me that my the self-sustaining hot air balloon was about to pass the Mortmain Mountains, so we went to the top of Mount Fraught. The mountain was so high that we were able to reach the balloon."_

Duncan was quick to interrupt Quigley, _"We were shocked when we saw Quigley, we thought that we were imagining it. We thought for all that time that he died in the fire that killed our parents and destroyed our homes, yet there he was. Completely alive."_

"_Olaf's tents were still up from when I was there with you"_, Quigley continued, _"Once on the balloon, we went back towards the hotel to get you. We were going to lower a ladder so that we could drop down from the balloon to the salon on the roof of the Hotel Denouement, but when we saw that it was on fire, we simply went past it. Later, when we were over the sea we were attacked by eagles." _

Hector continued with the story. _"We defended ourself with large nets, but it wasn't enough. The eagles popped every balloon."_

It was Fiona who spoke next. _"The self-sustaining hot air balloon hit the Queequeg as it well. We received a Volunteer Factual Dispatch from Kit Snicket, or as it turned out, somebody pretending to be Kit Snicket. We were told that the sugar bowl was in that precise location. I suppose whoever sent the message knew that the hot air balloon was going to be attacked over us at the time. It was a trap."_

"_I assume the sugar bowl wasn't actually there then?", _asked Violet.

"_Aye... I mean no... I mean, aye... I mean, it was there. Aye, we found the sugar bowl!"_

Fiona opened her hands and shown the Baudelaires a small, white bowl with a handle on top to remove the lid. She slowly pulled on the handle, but it didn't open.

"_It looks like an ordinary kitchen item, but it's more complicated than that. There's a small keyhole at the top. Even if we could escape, we have no idea whatsoever where the key is. We tried smashing it open, but we haven't even scratched it. We have managed to hide it from Fernald and those two terrible people all this time. When the balloon hit us, the entire Queequeg fell into this submarine and we were thrown in the brig. We've been in here for a year... For a whole year, they've been torturing us and feeding us nothing but bread and water. It's horrible, Klaus. It's so horrible, but not as horrible as the fact that I never got to apologise to you."_ Fiona began to sob. Klaus stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"_I forgive you"_, Klaus whispered.

"_Aw, how lovely. You're really lucky to be seeing each other again."_ Phil said, but nobody listened to him as can be expected in such a situation.

"_We thought of a plan to escape and it almost worked"_, Duncan explained, _"We got Fernald to pretend to betray us and work for those people who we don't know the names of. The bald one with the beard and the woman with hair. He double-crossed us and actually joined him for real. They __whipped us all with that giant noodle. It was more of a miserable and somewhat sticky experience than I ever expected. Now, he's going to get it again. There's nothing we can do."_

Isadora put her hand on her brother's shoulder and everyone began to hear footsteps coming from outside the brig. It was Fernald the hook-handed man. He didn't bring the tagliatelle grande with him. On the contrary, a term which here means, despite the fact that he said that he was going to bring it back with him, he had a key. It wasn't the key that the Baudelaire so desperately wanted, that being the key to the sugar bowl, but it was still a key that was of great assistance. I won't explain the details of how Fernald managed to insert the key into the lock and turn it without using any hands, but the point is that the door of the cell opened. He then said two words, that everyone in the cell would remember for the rest of their lives...

"_You're free."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **I must warn you that after reading this chapter, you may not like that direction that I am going in. Trust me though, I've got this whole story planned out and I know where I'm going here. This has all been planned from the get-go.

**Disclaimer:** After attending several court cases (whilst blindfolded), I have finally been proven innocent of claiming to own _'A Series of Unfortunate Events'_. Now, if only I can be proven innocent of murder as well, I'll finally be in the clear, a phrase which he means, _"Not guilty of murder or pretending to be Lemony Snicket."_

Over my many years on this cruel planet, I have heard the phrase _"There's no use crying over spilt milk"_ quite a few times. Obviously, this idiom is complete nonsense. If you spill some milk on the floor, then there are a variety of horrid things that may happen. You might run out of milk and grieve about the milk that you could be drinking if you had never spilt it on the floor. Your friend might slip on the milk and decapitate him or herself. The milk might stain your favourite carpet and never ever come out, no matter how hard you try to remove it. I have spilt milk countless times of the years and have spent many days crying over my thirsty lips, my deceased friends and my ruined carpets. However, the phrase _"There's use crying over spilt milk"_ doesn't sound as reassuring as the original phrase.

However most people would use this phrase in a more broad fashion. It is used when something undesirable happens and now that it has occurred, there's nothing you can do to make it any better. Clearly, _"There's no use crying over spilt milk"_ is a very gloomy phrase and I'm sorry to say that I will have to use it during this book. For now, I will use this phrase as an example of how one term can mean two very different things. Some people would associate this term with thirstiness, severed heads and ruined carpets. Meanwhile, others would associate it with bad things in general that once happened, cannot be changed.

Like these examples, the word 'shock' has several meanings. It could mean an electrical shock, such as what killed an associate of mine named D. It could mean the failure of the cardiovascular system to sufficiently supply the cells of the body with oxygen. For example, you'd go into shock if you suddenly got hit by a taxi driven by a realtor, or Esmé Squalor would go into shock if she broke a nail whilst lighting a match. Shock is also a stronger word for surprise and this is the type of shock each and every person is the cell – even Phil – experienced when Fernald let them out. It was Phil who spoke first.

"_Fernald! I knew you'd come through for us!"_

Phil began to perform a complicated dance which I feel no need to describe. Fiona, reluctantly (a word which here means 'hesitantly') walked towards her stepbrother. She didn't want to get her hopes up. That's what happened last time and it only led to disappointment. Fernald noticed this.

"_Listen, Fiona. I know what I did wasn't the most noble thing in the world, but you have to understand. During my time with Olaf, I learned more about morality than you could ever imagine. The world isn't divided into noble people and evil people. At times, Count Olaf was a very good man. You were just never around to see it. When we first met, he saved my life. That's how I ended up in his troupe. He was a lot more than a wicked person and if you think that the volunteers of VFD were any better than Olaf, you're wrong. With my own eyes, I've seen them do some horrible things to innocent people. Look... I know what I did wasn't the best course of action, but at the end of the day, we're still family. I guess seeing the Baudelaire orphans still together was what I needed to see that."_

Fiona nodded and hesitantly (a word which here means 'reluctantly') moved in for a hug.

Fiona looked up at her stepbrother, _"You're really coming back to our side?"_

"_Aye",_ replied Fernald, before smiling at Captain Widdershins.

At this moment, everyone began to feel as if some lost hope was restored within them. Maybe if they had not wasted time with the family reunion, the upcoming disaster could have been avoided. Alas, it is not my duty to speculate on what might have happened had the Baudelaires not been so unfortunate. My sad duty is to inform you of what actually happened during these tragic events. The aforementioned disaster began with a familiar laugh.

"_Ho ho ho haw haw ha!" _laughed the man with a beard but no hair, _"You all thought that you could escape by corrupting our henchman? You never stood a chance. Now, get back into that cell or else you'll be punished harshly. My partner in crime is on his – I mean, her - way here right now and he – I mean, she - is bringing the tagliatelle grande with him – I mean, her. We didn't want to subject you to that unpleasant and somewhat sticky experience, but now you leave us no choice. Hoy hoy ho ho haw!"_

Suddenly, the whole submarine shook. At that moment, the woman with hair but no beard rushed into the room. She was not carrying a huge noodle, but she had a look of concern on her face. _ "Someone has sabotaged the submarine!"_

"_What!" _responded the main with a beard but no hair, but it was more of an I-heard-you-but-can't-believe-what-you-just-said kind of what, rather than an I'm-sorry-could-you-please-repeat-what-you-just-said kind of what.

"_It's definitely sabotage. The damage is too perfect to be an accident. I looked everywhere but can't see anyone else here", _the woman told him._ "We're going to sink right to the bottom on the ocean and we'll be too far down to swim back up. If we want to escape, we have to leave now and hope that land is nearby."_

_Again, the submarine referred to as the Great Unknown shook once again and this this, a piece of metal near the ceiling almost came crashing down, making everyone in the submarine flinch._

The man with a beard but no hair pointed at Fernald._ "What have you done!" _he screamed at him.

"_I didn't do anything!"_ Fernald replied hastily.

From my research, I can conclude that Fernald was being honest. Nobody in the submarine noticed that the submarine's radar was showing a strange phenomenon represented by the image of an eye approaching the Great Unknown and later, moving away from it. While Fernald and the two villains were arguing, Klaus looked at Violet.

"_We don't have time to argue with them. We have got to get out now. Not only for us, but for Beatrice." _Violet nodded in agreement.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny walked out of the room with Beatrice held tightly in Violet's arms. Once they left the room, they looked over their shoulders looked over at the Quagmires and the rest of their friends. Violet called out to them, in attempt to get them to follow.

"_Quigley! Duncan!"_

The three Quagmires, Hector, Fiona, Phil and Captain Widdershins all looked over at the Baudelaires, but by pure chance the submarine shook again, this time more vigorously. The huge piece of machinery, which I previously mentioned, landed right in front of the door. Hector and Captain Widdershins were quick to run over to the huge lump of metal and tried to push it out of the way, but to no avail.

"_We're trapped!" _exclaimed the man with a beard but no hair.

"_What do we do?"_ asked Fernald.

"_Help!"_ cried Isadora instinctively.

Phil took his optimism to a whole new level by casually saying, "Oh well, it could be worse."

Duncan looked at Phil as if he were insane. _"HOW!"_

Phil wasted no time replying, "_It's better to die than to never have lived at all."_

Outside the room, Violet looked at her brother._ "We have to leave now. Before the submarine sinks right to the sea floor."_

"_What about the others?"_

"_There's nothing we can do!"_

Violet pulled her siblings over to the the hatch from which they had entered. Klaus particularly was unwilling to go. _"We can't just leave them!"_

Violet opened the hatch as Klaus cried out, _"Fiona!"_

Klaus heard Fiona's voice for what might be the last time._ "Klaus!"_

The submarine shook for a fourth time as Violet pulled her brother up the hatch and on this miserable day, the four orphans left the Great Unknown just in time to save there lives. The sea was now very calm and the storm had passed. The orphans noticed that there was land quite nearby. Violet wouldn't have been able to swim whilst holding the still-unconscious Beatrice, so the Baudelaires silently and passively floated on the calm water, waiting for the gentle waves to push them towards the shore. It was only when they reached the shore when the noticed exactly where they were.

Eventually, the Baudelaires ended up right where their troubles had started. For the first time in over a year, Violet, Klaus and Sunny stood on Briny Beech. Still mourning over the possible deaths of his friends, Klaus looked over at his sister is disgust, not saying a word. He thought about Fiona, who was probably dying right as they stood there, completely powerless. I can tell you that Fiona did in fact survive. In reality, the people in the submarine found a means of escape and all but one survived beyond that point (by request of this victim's family, I will not name him or her) but according to the evidence I have found so far, the Baudelaires will never know that their friends survived. Until the day when I will undoubtedly burn to death, I will continue searching for evidence of a loving reunion, but I am starting to doubt the chances of that day ever arriving. As far as they might ever know during their miserable lives, everyone perished. Everyone faced a slow and horrible death. It all sank in as they stood on Briny Beach and it was like the day their parents died all over again. The long silence was broken by Sunny, struggling to let out the following two words, which will haunt the orphans for the rest of their lives.

"_Spilt milk."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** A little bit of calm before the storm here with a not-so-action-packed chapter, but it's more important than you'd expect while reading the chapter. Why is it so important, you ask? When you read the rest of the story, you'll see.

**Disclaimer:** I am writing this from a jail cell after being _"proven"_ guilty for murder by an incompetent judge. However, at least I never claimed to be Lemony Snicket, or to have ever owned ASOUE. There's no use crying over spilt milk.

Violet felt just as upset by what had just happened as her siblings did. She tried not to show it, but she also had to live with the guilt of leaving them behind. A long time ago, she promised the Baudelaire parents that as the first born Baudelaire sibling, she would look after Klaus and Sunny and never let anything bad happen to them. However, she never guessed that she would ever have to make such a dreadful choice. She escaped from the Great Unknown, saving her family but leaving her friends trapped and helpless. She thought of Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. She thought of Captain Widdershins, Fernald and Fiona. She thought of Hector and Phil... Then she thought of Quigley Quagmire and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"_Let's go. We need to find somewhere to stay."_

During my life, there have been many occasions during which I had to swallow my guilt. This does not mean that I literally swallowed my guilt, as guilt is abstract and does not take a physical form. On the contrary, I used a phrase which here means, rather than physically swallowing my guilt, I forced myself to forget about the wicked deed which I had just committed. However, you can only swallow your guilt for so long and eventually, the memory of your wickedness cacthes up with you and you end up spending an entire helicopter trip sobbing and weeping. Being a person who supports nobility, reading and the extinguishing of fires, I still weep over my actions from long ago and can't help thinking, _'Why did I give those poison darts to Charles, knowing that he would give them to Frank, who would give them to my brother, who would give them to my sister, who would give them to my beloved? Why?'_ Violet managed to convince herself that she did the right thing, but I hereby promise that her guilt will catch up with her very soon.

None of the orphans mentioned what had just transpired as they left Briny Beach, walking in a random direction without any idea of where they wished to go. They couldn't bear to think about what had happened in the Great Unknown, so they did everything they could to change the subject. Sometimes, when you're thinking about something horrific, it is best to distract yourself from it by suddenly talking about a completely different subject. Once, I took a pottery lesson from a women who would later become a mass murderer. Those were the most exciting nine years of my life.

After only a few minutes of walking, the Baudelaires found a nice, sheltered spot under a bridge. There were cars rushing above them on the bridge, but there was nobody around to see them under the bridge. They reached the shelter just in time, before a depressing outpour of rain began. For the first time, all three Baudelaires regretting leaving the island and wished that they had stayed in the peaceful area for the rest of their lives. Klaus sat down, leaning against a brick wall.

"_What do you think happened? Do you think that they're... dead?"_

Violet laid Beatrice down on ground, sat down to reassure her brother.

"_I don't know. Maybe they found a way out. They might have been able to push the metal out of the way in time. Or maybe there was another hatch on the other side of the submarine. It was big enough to have two hatches"_

Klaus gave Violet a hug, grateful that she was trying to cheer him up. However, he was not convinced. He looked in Violets eyes and struggled to admit his thoughts.

"_I think they're dead. I can't think of another explanation. They all died and it's our fault."_

Violet sighed in self pity, a phrase which means_ 'pity for herself'_._ "No, Klaus. It's my fault. You tried to save them, but I stopped you. I was just trying to make sure that we would get out alive. That was so selfish of me. I'm the one who killed them. The Daily Punctilio was right. I am a murderer."_

This was when Sunny opened her mouth, trying to repeat the expression about spilt milk, but no sound came out. As her guilt caught up with her, she couldn't push herself to say it. Klaus realised that it was his turn to console Violet.

"_It's not your fault. You were just trying to save me... and Sunny and Beatrice. That was heroic."_

Violet thought about what her parents once said to her such a long time ago. _"You are the eldest Baudelaire child... and as the eldest, it will always be your responsibility to look after your younger siblings. Promise us that you will always watch after them and make sure they don't get into any trouble."_

Violet looked at Klaus. Both of their faces were soaked with tears. For the first time in months, they thought about why they put up with life and what kept them going. It was their love for each other, Sunny and Beatrice. They just wished that Beatrice would wake up, so that the family would be together again. With that accomplished, nothing bad could ever happen to them.

Sunny turned towards Violet and Klaus. She was grinning, showing her sharp teeth.

"_Look"._

Sunny nodded towards Beatrice. All three siblings looked at her and to their relief and delight, she opened her eyes. Beatrice groaned, not entirely sure what had just happened. Violet and Klaus exchanged a glance and a smile, content that for once, something fortunate happened to them. All the unfortunate events of their miserable lives only made them more appreciative of the fortune that did appear to them once in a while. If you read my previous books, you might refer to this as a figurative victory for the Baudelaires. Though they were still in a seemingly hopeless situation, the fact that they were all together made them feel just a little bit better.

"_Whahap'n?"_ asked my niece, meaning something along the lines of _"What happened?"_

"_You're safe"_, Violet told her, _"That's all that matters"_.

One more tear formed in Violet's eye, but this was not a tear of sorrow. For once in her life, Violet shed a tear of joy. Unfortunately though, she would never feel this sense of euphoria and pleasure again in her near future. I am sorry to inform you of this, but that is how this story goes.

"_Pij"_, Beatrice said as she rubbed the large bump on her forehead. As far as I can tell, she meant something along the lines of, _"I am in a particularly unpleasant and uncomfortable amount of __pain."_

Violet picked the child up and gave her a hug. Though she was in the same amount of physical pain as before, Beatrice noticed that a hug from Violet seemed to soothe it. This was similar to the time I got hit in the knee by a boomerang, but the news that for once, one of VFD's plans actually went well seemed to make it less painful, despite the fact that my knee was still under extreme agony.

"_Car?"_, Beatrice asked, meaning something along the lines of , _"Where are we?"._

Klaus was quick to explain their miserable situation. _"We fell into hatch of a gigantic submarine and got imprisoned by a couple of villains. Then, one of our old enemies rescued us and we managed to __escape at Briny Beach. We left the beach and found shelter here."_

Beatrice would then ask another question,_ "Ferou?",_ meaning something along the lines of,_ "What are we going to do now?"_

Violet looked at Klaus, who looked at Sunny, who looked at Violet, who looked at Klaus, who looked at Sunny, who looked at Violet, who looked at Klaus and so forth. They didn't know what to say. The rain was still pouring down and a strong, cold gust of wind blew. Violet held on to Beatrice in fear that the wind would pick her up and the last sign of good fortune in the Baudelaires' lives would blow out of their view. Sunny realised that they still had not answered Beatrice's question.

"_We don't know."_

Klaus elaborated, _"We need to find someone who's willing to help us, but for all we know everyone who has ever been kind to us is dead. We never found who died in the fire of Hotel Denouement before you were born and who survived. "_

Violet decided to look at the bright side, bleak though it may be. _"At least we don't need to worry about people seeing us and thinking that we're murderers. It has been a long time since Geraldine Julienne wrote that story for the Daily Punctilio. People would have probably forgotten it by now and besides, we all look a lot different now. We spent a year on that island."_

Klaus looked down at the ground, so deep in thought that he completely lost track of his surroundings. Violet noticed that and felt in her pocket. She wanted to tie her hair up in a ribbon to help her think. She noticed that she had lost her ribbon. It fell out of her pocket in the storm and would have washed up in the coastal shelf of the island, where I would one day find it and take it back with me as evidence.

"_Rudawan"_, Beatrice pointed out, meaning something along the lines of, _"We have to do something"_.

"_She's right"_, noted Sunny, _"We can't stay forever"_.

Violet stroked Beatrice's hair, very reluctant to put her in danger. However, she had to accept that they couldn't simply stay there and freeze to death, die of dehydration, or die of some other means that may await them. Violet smiled at Beatrice, but she didn't seem so joyful any more. _"I love you"_.

Beatrice looked up at the young woman who helped raise her. _"I know"_.

When the rain cleared up, the Baudelaires began to walk once again in a random direction. They just hoped that they would find someone who would care for them. The thought of someone else caring for them felt so strange for Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Nobody had cared for them for a long time. The experience of walking in a random direction took them back to when they were on the run from the law. After being falsely proven guilty by Detective Dupin on the Vilage of Fowl Devotees, they randomly walked away from the scene, eventually ending up at the Last Chance General Store. In a way, they were still on the run. No longer from the law, but from the world's treachery which always follows them and had recently caught up with them. They ran away from it as fast as they could... but you can't run forever.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny were frustrated. They ended up in a part of the city that they had never been in before. They were is unfamiliar grounds and in uncharted waters. There was no sign of any people anywhere. However, Beatrice managed to spot something.

"Car!" she shouted. The last time she used this word, she meant _"Where are we?" _However, this time she was actually referring to a car. The Baudelaires looked behind them and saw a car park that was empty except for one car. To Beatrice, it was just a regular car. However, the Baudelaire remembered this car well. They remembered being squashed in it, being thrown from one guardian to another.

They heard a familiar voice.

"_Egad! It's the Baudelaires!"_

You weren't expecting that, were you?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:** Not the most interesting chapter, but as I publish this I am writing chapter nine, which is where it really gets exciting. Any reviews will be returned. Thanks.

**Disclaimer:** I am not claiming to be Lemony Snicket or to own _'A Series of Unfortunate Events'_. After all, it would be foolish of me to give away my identity to my many enemies.

If you lived in Scotland during the eighteenth century, you may have known a man called David Hume. Hume was a well-known philosopher who came up with a ridiculous idea known as the bundle theory. According to this theory, nothing physically exists in the universe. All that exists are the qualities that represent something. For example, smoke can either be a light grey colour or a dark colour that is almost black. It is thick and difficult to inhale. It is gaseous, therefore it has no solid shape. When stripped of these qualities there is nothing left so apparently, the smoke itself doesn't exist. Instead, there are just a bunch of random, floating qualities.

I wish I could say that I could one day believe this bundle theory, but I am in doubt. Over my many years in this cruel world, I have been in too many horrid situations to believe that smoke does not exist. I'm afraid that I will be forced to refer to this unfortunate fact more than once in the next seven chapters of this book. As much as I would like to think otherwise, the hardships of life are real and concrete.

When the Baudelaires noticed the familiar qualities of Mr Poe's voice, his car and his nasty cough, they found it hard to believe that Mr Poe was actually standing before them. This was not because they strongly endorsed the bundle theory but because they were overwhelmed by the sudden rush of memories as their distant past caught up to them.

"_Egad!"_ Mr Poe shouted again.

"_Mr Poe?" _questioned Violet, _"What are you doing here?"_

"_What am I doing here?" _commented Mr Poe before pausing to cough, _"What are YOU doing here? Please don't tell me that you have returned to resume your life of crime. I had to watch that judge woman die right in front of me because of your shenanigans at Hotel Denouement. I barely made it out of there with my life! Just when my cough was getting better after all those years, I had to breathe in so much smoke!"_

Klaus tried to swallow his guilt, _"Justice Strauss is dead?"_

"_Exactly. Most people got out of the hotel safely, but that poor woman has been dead for a year and it's all your fault, Baudelaires. I hope you're proud of yourselves."_

As it happened, the Baudelaires weren't very proud of themselves and there was a moment of silence as Violet, Klaus and Sunny were overwhelmed by guilt. Without Justice Strauss, the Baudelaires wouldn't have survived Count Olaf's first plot to steal the Baudelaire fortune. Mr Poe was the one who broke the silence.

"_Come with me to the police station and we'll discuss what's going to happen to you murderers. I'm afraid your fortune was stolen and was brought to the hotel in cash form, where it burned along with the thief. Not that you'd ever inherit it anyway. I suspect you'll be brought to prison and justice will be served."_

Mr Poe took time to cough as the Baudelaires took in what he had just said. After putting his handkerchief back into his pocket, he finish his speech with one more sentence.

"_If you haven't already realised this, Baudelaires, let me tell you that criminals never win."_

If he weren't so depressed by the news of Justice Strauss' decease, Klaus might have laughed at this utterly wrong statement. Just like I have, the Baudelaires learned about the wrongness of Mr Poe's theorem the hard way. A more accurate statement would be that criminals always win. This thought was interrupted by Beatrice.

"_Saltach?" _said Beatrice, meaning something along the lines of _"Who is this slightly overweight man with a nasty cough?"_

Before any of the Baudelaires could explain the situation to Beatrice, Mr Poe began asking the questions. _"Who is this then?"_

Violet answered, _"Mr Poe, this is Beatrice and we have been-"_

"_You kidnapped a baby! May I say, Baudelaires, you have sunk to a new low. Goodness gracious, kidnapping a baby!"_

Beatrice intruded in the conversation by saying, _"Menibog"_, meaning something along the lines of, _"I take offense to being called a baby"._

"_But Mr Poe", _Violet started, _"We've been taking care of Beatrice. We raised her since she was born. Her mother was Kit Snicket, who got poisoned by a deadly fungus called the medusoid mycelium and as she died, she asked us to care for her."_

Violet could see from Mr Poe's facial expression that he didn't believe a word of what Violet had just said, _"Don't be ridiculous, Violet. Who in their right mind would ask three young murderers to take care of a child?"_

"_We're not murderers!" _announced Sunny.

"_Don't be silly", _said Mr Poe, _"There's too much evidence in the Daily Punctilio to deny it. Now come with me."_

The four orphans looked at each other in turn and accepted that Mr Poe was as unhelpful as ever. They entered Mr Poe's car, now more cramped than ever with four orphans instead of three, waiting to see where the small car would take them. For the second time in this book, I must refer to the Latin phrase,_ 'ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt'_, meaning that the fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling. The Baudelaires stared out of the window of the car, wondering where fate would take them and what horrors lay ahead of them.

The car trip was tense and nobody in the car spoke, until they stopped at Mr Poe's bank.

"_I suppose I better go up to my office and phone my co-workers. I'll have to explain why I won't be working tonight. I have to accompany three murderers to the police station. Uh, that's my worst excuse yet._"

Violet and Klaus exchanged glances, then quickly turned away, hoping that Mr Poe didn't see them and hazard a guess at what they were thinking. For the first time in their unfortunate lives, the Baudelaires saw that Mr Poe was thinking exactly what they were thinking, they being left alone in the car would give them a chance to escape, particularly with Violet's inventing skills.

"_You're coming in with me and stay where I can see you. I'm not letting you murderous murderers out of my sight."_

The Baudelaires frowned as Mr Poe unlocked the car, ushering the falsely-accused criminals into the building. The Baudelaires remembered being in this building a long time ago, when they were living with Count Olaf. To say the least, it was unremarkable, a phrase here meaning 'square and plain-looking'.

They passed a security guard and Mr Poe held out a card and simply said, _"Poe"._

The guard nodded and they were led up a flight of stairs and into an office, and Mr Poe dialed a number on his telephone. 911. The Baudelaires cringed at the thought of what was transpiring.

"_Hello, this is Mr Poe of Mulctuary Money Management. How do you do? ...What? The nature of my emergency? No, my problem has nothing to do with nature. I just caught the Baudelaire arsonists slash murderers. Is there a reward? ...Really? Is that all? Well, I still caught them. You can drop by at the bank and collect them whenever you're ready. Poe out."_

Mr Poe looked at the Baudelaires and spoke, _"Apparently, a specially-trained policewoman, Faith Wecem, is on her way to deal with the situation. You three will be put to justice the police will decide what will happen to the infant. Catching arsonists and murderers are this policewoman's area of expertise, which means that she's best at that particular area."_

Klaus and Violet both knew what 'area of expertise' meant, but neither of them said a word. Rather they stayed still, staring at the ground. Klaus was holding Beatrice and Sunny was sitting on Violet's lap. Beatrice was asleep in Klaus' arms. She looked so peaceful, so serene, so innocent. Undisturbed by the hardships and the treacheries of life, she lied gently. The Baudelaires couldn't stop themselves from wondering. How long could she stay this way? When she is an adult, will she even remember them? If not, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Mr Poe's telephone rang and the banker took the time to cough before answering it.

"_Yes, this is Poe. Indeed, I am interested a three-week weight loss program... Interesting, shall I fax you my credit card number? ...Uh-huh... Hmm... Do I know you? No? Forty-two, obviously... If you don't mind, I completely disagree... No, it's spelt P-O-E... Okay, I'll meet you at the Fountain of Victorious Finance at noon on Wednesday... Today? Can't it wait until Wednesday? I'm busy... What? Today IS Wednesday? I'm on my way"_

Mr Poe hung up, stood up and began fixing the creases of his suit. _"It's an emergency. I have to go, so I'm locking the door so it can only be accessed from the outside. Don't think of trying to escape, Baudelaires. You can't open the door from here, so wait for the police to arrive. Goodbye and I hope we don't meet again, you arsonists!"_

Mr Poe slammed the door behind him. As soon as the footsteps faded, Klaus delicately placed Beatrice on a chair and quickly ran over to the door. Frantically turning the doorknob, he was desperate to find a way out of the office. Violet simply say there, feeling sorry for herself.

"_Don't bother, Klaus. There's nothing we can do."_

Klaus wasn't willing to five in. _"There has got to be something. There's always something! Could you invent a way out? How about a lock pick, like the one you invented when we were living with __Uncle Monty?"_

"_There's no use. Even if we get past the door, that security guard would stop us. We can't escape without some sort of identification, like the card that Mr Poe shown him."_

Klaus hanged his head in despair, beginning to accept this they Baudelaires had finally lost. They would spent the rest of their lives in prison and they would never see Beatrice again, despite the promise they made to Kit Snicket moments before her death. Their series of unfortunate events had finally ended.

Or had they?

At that very moment, the door opened from the outside and they saw a person on the other side, strangely wearing a gas mask.

"_Are you who I think you are?"_

Violet's heart skipped a beat, as did Klaus' and Sunny's.

"_I didn't realise this was such a sad occasion"._


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Another chapter here. I don't have anything to say in particular so I don't know why I'm putting in this author's note.

**Disclaimer:** Do I really need to come up with thirteen different ways of saying that I am NOT Lemony Snicket and that I do NOT own ASOUE?

"_I didn't realise this was such a sad occasion"._

It is said that all the information in the world is staring us in the face at every moment of our existence. Obviously, when I say that it is staring us in the face, I don't mean it in a literal sense. I am actually saying that it is all around us and sometimes we can see all the information we will ever need, but simply can't recognise it. If only we could decode the answers around us, I could have found out about my brother's imminent death in time to say some meaningful last words to him. If only I knew the codes when I was a child, I could have avoided accidentally and unwittingly volunteering to spend my life hopelessly trying to extinguish fires.

The point I am trying to make is that all information is in codes nowadays. If you saw a precise definition of the meaning of life in the Greek language, it may mean nothing to you, while an expert in the Greek language would see something intriguing and life-changing. If you saw a letter talking about random nonsense and you didn't know that there was actually subtle, discrete coding involved, you may dismiss it as something unimportant. However, someone who knows an elaborate code invented by a now-deceased filmmaker would see it as a vital warning about disloyal sheep.

This particular code was one which Violet, Klaus and Sunny had learned before Beatrice's birth. It involved one party showing that they are friendly by saying the line, _"I didn't realise this was such a sad occasion". _Klaus knew just how to answer.

"_The-"_

Before Klaus could show that he understood this bizarre person in the gas mask, Violet elbowed him in the ribs. Klaus backed away in mild pain and looked at his sister in confusion. Violet looked at the stranger. She then thought of a lie to convince him (well, they assumed it was a him by his voice, though they won't know sure for a while) that they didn't know what he was talking about.

"_We don't know what you're talking about."_

Of course, Klaus was about to say _"The world is quiet here"_, which is the coded response to what the man had just said. The phrase, "We don't know what you're talking about", was once the coded response to a completely different VFD phrase, but it was scrapped as too many people were mistaken to be volunteers. Violet, ignorant of this, simply wanted to get rid of the gasmasked man.

"_Very well"_, responded the gasmasked man smugly. He turned around and began to leave, until Sunny couldn't restrain herself from blurting out a question.

"_Why are you wearing a gas mask?"_

The gasmasked man turned back to the Baudelaires and they had some kind of awesome x-ray vision, they would have noticed that he was smirking. _"In case I need it"_, he said eerily. _"I'm sure I will, one day. If you are who I think you are, then you'll see."_

As you may or may not know, there are several uses for a gas mask. The main reason is to avoid inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. For example, I once wore a gas mask to avoid breathing in smoke when I ran into a burning dairy in attempt to save an associate of mine called Murphy, or M as I liked to call him. Another reason is to disguise oneself. For example, my brother once used a gas mask to hide his one eyebrow from a town of eagle enthusiasts. The third use of a gas mask is to go treat-or-treating on Halloween.

The gas-masked man wasn't in an area full of airborne pollutants and toxic gases, not yet at least. He didn't have a particular reason to disguise himself, not yet at least. I can assume that he wasn't going trick-or-treating as this part of the story takes place in January and it is very rude to knock on people's doors and demand candy in the middle of January. Therefore, _"In case I need it"_, wasn't a very satisfying answer to Sunny's question.

All three Baudelaires had so many more questions, the first and foremost being _"Who are you?" _but they didn't ask him, because they were unsure about whether or not it was safe. The gasmasked man smiled, but once again the Baudelaires couldn't notice this as the gasmasked man was a gasmasked man and thus, the gasmasked was blocking their view of his face.

"_You are who I think you are, aren't you?"_

The Baudelaires were silent. Obviously, the answer to this question would depend on who the gasmasked man thought they were and the Baudelaires' response would depend on who they thought the gasmasked man thought they were and what he thought they thought they were, so a more appropriate question would be, _"Are you who I think you think I think you think I though you are?" _and an honest answer would be _"Yes"_. An honest guess would be that he thought that they were the Baudelaires and think guess would be correct. However, was the gasmasked man who the Baudelaires thought he was, or was he who they thought he thought they thought we was?

The Baudelaires remained silent and the gasmasked man left, completely satisfied.

"_Who was he?" _asked Sunny.

Violet paused before answering, _"I don't know, Sunny."_

Meanwhile, Klaus strolled up to the door and took a peek around the door frame.

"_Now that the door is open, we can leave."_

Violet shook her head. _"The security guard, remember? Nothing can save us now."_

I'm pleased to say that exactly when Violet finished her sentence, an unexpected noise was heard. It was coming from the telegraph on Mr Poe's desk. Violet, Klaus and Sunny converged on the telegraph and when the telegram was fully received, Klaus picked it up and read it out loud for his siblings.

"_Baudelaires STOP We are delighted to hear that you are still alive STOP The few surviving members of VFD will meet for one last attempt to revive our organisation STOP Please attend if convenient STOP If inconvenient try to make it anyway because if this revival attempt is not successful the world will be rid of VFD and those who start fires will have finally won STOP"_

Violet frowned,_ "Is that it?"_

Klaus shook his head,_"No. There's also a poem."_

"_Then read it out"_, said Sunny.

Klaus did so.

"The following is an extract from a German poem written in in 1667 by an admirable poet.

_He felt the entrance's green brightness_

_wrapped cooly round him like a silken cloak_

_that he was still accepting and arranging;_

_when at the opposite transparent end, far off_

_through green sunlight, as through green window panes,_

_whitely a solitary shape_

_flared up, long remaining distant_

_and then finally, the downdriving light_

_boiling over it at every step._

**Encounter In The Chestnut Lane **by Rainer Saturday Rilke_"_

_**JS**_

The Baudelaires looked around them. They were all thinking about the same thing. They thought about what they read with Fiona in an underwater cave known as the Gorgonian Grotto. They remember the telegram they received from Quigley Quagmire such a long time ago.

"_But that's-"_ started Violet.

"_Verse Fluctuation Declaration"_, finished Klaus.

"_Horray!"_ shouted Sunny.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** This will probably be the last update of the year, but don't worry. I'll get right back to it in January. Now, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own AOUE. Well, not as far as you know. _*nudge*_

The Baudelaires took a moment to calm themselves down and access the situation. They knew that VFD would have one final gathering. They had been sent a poem and thanks to their knowledge of a form of coding called Verse Fluctuation Declaration, they knew that the details of the reunion were hidden somewhere in the poem. However, there was one thing they didn't know. Where?

Klaus read the telegram again.

"The following is an extract from a German poem written in in 1667 by an admirable poet.

_He felt the entrance's green brightness_

_wrapped cooly round him like a silken cloak_

_that he was still accepting and arranging;_

_when at the opposite transparent end, far off_

_through green sunlight, as through green window panes,_

_whitely a solitary shape_

_flared up, long remaining distant_

_and then finally, the downdriving light_

_boiling over it at every step._

**Encounter In The Chestnut Lane **by Rainer Saturday Rilke_"_

"_Okay"_, he said, _"Let's think about this logically. Which part of the poem looks out of place? Is there anything that looks wrong?"_

Violet shrugged. _"Nothing looks that strange to me."_

"_Yes it does", _Klaus urged her. _"Read it thoroughly"._

"_It looks normal, Klaus"_ she responded,_ "It all looks normal... except..."_

Violet's forehead wrinkled as she noticed something about the telegram that stood out to her. Klaus smiled, noting that she had found it.

"_Except..." _Klaus encouraged her.

Violet took a deep breath. _"Except the name. Rainer Saturday Rilke. Nobody's name could be Saturday."_

Klaus nodded. _"Exactly"._

Sunny looked at her siblings, completely dumbfounded. _"But Friday" _she pointed out, _"At the island."_

Klaus took a moment to think, _"Good point, but it's still unlikely that the poet's middle name is Saturday. Whoever JS is, he or she is trying to tell us that the VFD gathering is at Saturday. It's like the message they left at their base in the Mortmain Mountains through Verbal Fridge Dialogue. __They left five olives, meaning that the gathering at Hotel Denouement was on Thursday. This gathering is on Saturday and I'm sure if we can decipher the rest of the code, we can find out where."_

"_Have you ever read that poem?"_ asked Sunny.

"_No," _Klaus panicked, _"but maybe we could send a telegram back to JS. If we tell him that it's definitely us, then he could answer all of our questions AND tell us the words to the poem."_

Violet wasn't convinced, _"That would take too much time. Mr Poe will return before we can send the message, let alone get a reply. We'll just have to work out where the gathering is then just get there as soon as we can."_

Klaus looked at the poem again. _"How do we decipher the message though? Even I have never heard of that poet. According to JS, the poem was written in German so I doubt anyone in the bank would know and I really don't think that Mr Poe would have any poetry books in his office."_

Klaus was wrong. Mr Poe had precisely six poetry books in his office but they were all on a notoriously bad poet called Edgar Guest, meaning they were completely useless to the Baudelaires at this time. The Baudelaires sat down and did nothing more than think, paying no attention to their surroundings. They closed off the world around them and thought harder than they had thought in a long, long time. That was, however, until they were interrupted by a voice.

They exited the room, thanks to the gasmasked man who opened the door. They saw the security guard who Mr Poe encountered before. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. That's not to say that his screaming was on top of his respiration organs. I was using a phrase meaning that he was shouting as loud as his lungs would let him.

"_FIRE! EVERYBODY OUT!"_

The Baudelaires paused for a second, unable to take in what they had just heard. Everyone in the bank was running around, panicking and screaming.

"_Help me!"_

"_I'm to young to die!"_

"_My mother's still in there!"_

"_Don't worry. According to some eighteenth-century philosopher, smoke doesn't exist!"_

"_I don't want to die!"_

"_I won't die! I won't die!"_

"_Well, we're all going to die some day."_

"_Not here! Not now!"_

"_Did I mention my mother!"_

Klaus looked around the corner and noticed that the fire was rapidly spreading towards the office, so he instinctively closed the door. Klaus turned around and frantically looked at his siblings._ "It's just like our old home, but this time it's not our parents dying. It's us. Oh, Violet. It's all happening again."_

Violet breathed slowly and deeply, doing everything she could to calm herself down. She didn't want to panic too much, or else she would fall victim to the smoke and the flames. The fire took her back to Hotel Denouement, to Heimlich Hospital, to the VFD base at Mount Fraught, to Caligari Carnival and of course, to the Baudelaire mansion. She didn't want to go out the same way as her parents. She didn't want the rest of her family to die here.

She wanted to live.

Violet put one hand of Klaus' shoulder and one hand on Sunny's.

"_No!"_ she announced calmly, _"None of us are dying here. We're not too far from the exit. Let's go."_

"_Wait"_, instructed Klaus reluctantly. He grabbed Violet's hand and stopped her from reaching the door handle. _"I've read books on fires... before this all happened. The fire was close to the door when it was open. If the fire is right outside the door, we need to find another way out."_

Anyone else who was there would think that Violet was unusually calm, but Klaus and Sunny could see that she was just trying to look that way. When they looked into her eyes, they could tell that she was nervous. More than that, she was anxious. Those words from her parents ran through her mind again. "You are the eldest Baudelaire child... and as the eldest, it will always be your responsibility to look after your younger siblings. Promise us that you will always watch after them and make sure they don't get into any trouble."

Violet sighed. _"You're right. Did those books you read mention how to check if there's fire on the other side?"_

Klaus nodded. He crouched down and felt the bottom of the door with the back of his hand.

"_It's warm. We need a to find another way out. The window, perhaps."_

Violet looked over at the window at the other side of the room, but she frowned. _"It's a large window, so I guess we could fit through there, but we're on the second story."_

Sunny walked over to the window. _"Invent a way out. Like at the hospital."_

"_I'm afraid that's not possible"_, said Violet, shaking her head. _"We don't have enough materials. I can't invent a way out, but I think I can invent something else."_

Violet wished she had a ribbon to tie her hair up, but she had to settle without one. _"Klaus, open the window. Sunny, get me one of the coats from that coat-hanger. One of the strikingly colourful ones."_

They did as they were told. Violet took a large, Poe-sized coat from Sunny and ran up to the window which was fully opened by Klaus. She climbed out onto the window ledge and began to wave the coat up and down repeatedly.

Now that the window was open, she had to shout to be heard by her siblings over the sound be people screaming outside. _"I'm waving the coat to get people's attention! They might recognise us as the Baudelaire murderers but anything is better than burning to death! The fire department is here, so there must be someone with a ladder! This coat will definitely get their attention! I can't believe I'm actually thankful for Mrs Poe's sense of fashion!"_

Despite everything, Klaus managed to laugh a little bit under his breath, forced though it may have been. He muttered to himself, _"I hope this works"_, but there was too much noise for his sisters to hear him. His hopes were fulfilled, as they would soon be climbing down a ladder provided by a noble man who happen to be carrying a ladder. They ended up sitting a safe distance from the inferno, with a blanket placed over them to treat the shock.

Violet Baudelaire was satisfied. Her siblings were safe. Klaus was completely alive and well. Sunny was completely alive and well. Her adapted daughter (in a sense), Beatrice, was completely-

Violet remembered Beatrice.

She felt sick. She was so stupid. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

She screamed.

"BEATRICE! Where's Beatrice!"

Klaus mouthed the words, _"Oh my God"._

"_I have to go back for her!" _he shouted.

Violet objected, _"Klaus, no!"_

However, she was too late. Klaus was already running through the front door. There weren't enough authorities there yet to stop him. Klaus was going to die as well. It was all Violet's fault.

_STUPID!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** I hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year. I've taken a long enough break so it's time to start the presses once again. I particularly enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it too. Most importantly, please review.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned ASOUE, then this wouldn't be a disclaimer, would it?

Those of you who have an interest in filmography may be familiar with a term called 'cross-cutting'. This term refers to when a movie alternates between two scenes to give the impression that they are happening simultaneously. When something unfortunate occurs in a movie, you might end up sobbing and weeping so much that you need a whole box of tissues. However, when a movie contains the horrible act of cross-cutting, two equally miserable things can happen at the same time, which makes your depression so much worse that you might end up needing ten boxes of tissues. For that reason, it can be deduced that those who take part in cross-cutting are evil and should never be trusted.

I hope that you can find it in your hearts to think of me as an exception to the rule, rather than another evil cross-cutter. I must engage in cross-cutting in this chapter, despite the fact that this is a book, not a film. It is not my fault that the events thats happen to Klaus and Beatrice in the burning bank happened at the same time as the events that happened a safe distance away from the blaze, with Violet and Sunny. I will have to cross-cut a couple of times, so let's get it over with. I will start by describing what happened to Klaus after he entered the front door of the bank.

Klaus tried to ignore the thoughts about how foolish he was running back in the bank. He knew that he was simply walking into the slaughter house, meaning he was willingly running to his possible death, not that he was a cow or a pig being killed for his meat. Klaus just wasn't willing to lose Beatrice. For all he knew, Fiona and the rest were dead. The Quagmires and Captain Widdershins and Hector and Phil could all be dead. He made a vow to himself not to let any more of his loved ones die. He promised himself that Violet, Sunny and Beatrice would all be okay. Now, we was living up to his word.

The fire had already spread across most of the hotel. Luckily enough, there was a clear path up to the stairway which Mr Poe took them up earlier. On the other hand, the first was spreading quickly and soon there would be no means of escape. Klaus realised that if he didn't run out of the bank soon, he might never leave at all. However, he ran up the stairs with haste, thinking of Beatrice and the promise he and his sisters made to Kit Snicket as she died back on the island, which felt so far away.

**Cross-cut #1**

I warned you that I was going to cross-cut to the situation with Violet and Sunny outside the bank and now I shall stay true to my word. The eldest and youngest Baudelaire orphans were in distress, a term which here means _'distraught'_. Violet place Sunny on the ground and held firmly onto her arm.

"_I have to go and stop Klaus. There's too much at stake."_

"_No," _Sunny stuttered, _"Please don't leave me"._

Violet opened her mouth, possibly about to tell Sunny that she had no choice. However, whatever noise may have come out was drained by the noise of a siren. Violet and Sunny both turned around to see from where the noise originated.

"_What's that noise?" _asked Sunny.

Violet shrugged, _"Probably just a first truck. It's about time they arrive. Now, I need to stop Klaus from blundering to his death. Stay here and don't move a muscle. I'm not losing either of you. I... I love you, Sunny. Remember that."_

Violet never got the chance to run in after Klaus, because she was wrong about the siren they heard. It didn't come from a fire engine after all. The source of the noise was a police car. The car parked right next to the two Baudelaire sisters and before they could react, the door opened and a woman in police uniform walked out.

She stopped in her tracks, _"Oh my! It's the Baudelaires!"_

**Cross-cut #2**

Klaus Baudelaire wasted no time running towards the door behind which he leave Beatrice. He hesitated as he realised his mistake. He remembered the whole reason they had to exit the bank through the window in the first place. He had felt the door and concluded that there was fire on the other side. Unfortunately for himself, he was right. Klaus felt so _stupid_. He completely forgot about his observation in the bank. It felt so far away from him once he became anxious over Beatrice. He was so _stupid_! _Stupid! Stupid!_

Klaus muttered to himself, _"There's no turning back now"_, and crawled right into the inferno.

He held his breath to avoid breathing in the smoke. That would protect him from the most deadly aspect of bank fires, the smoke... until his lungs run out of oxygen, of course. When he finally made it it reached up and grabbed the door knob.

"_Ah!" _he shouted.

The door knob was too hot to touch. He now had a burn mark on his hand, but considering how much he was suffering now, that was the least of his worries. He summoned what little strength he had left and charged into the door, hitting it with his shoulder. The fire had weakened the door's stability, so it completely fell off its hinges. Klaus lied there for a few seconds, coughing. He was so weak... so utterly weak.

Then, he forced himself onto his knees, which was certainly a difficult task to say the least. He let out a whimper as the muscles in his arms pushed against the floor to pick himself upwards. Then, he notice Beatrice. She was coughing wildly. She managed took a deep breath, enough to allow her to call out to Klaus when he saw him.

"_Kla!"_

Klaus shouted back at her, _"Beatrice!"_

Beatrice coughed some more and Klaus noticed each and every individual tear on her face. She struggled to speak.

"_...Kla..."_

**Cross-cut #3**

Violet looked at the policewoman, shocked that she recognized her. It had been a long time since their photographs were published in _'The Daily Punctilio'_. She wasn't expected to be recognised, particularly when Klaus wasn't present. It was too late to run after Klaus. She looked at the policewoman suspiciously.

"_Who... are you?"_, she couldn't resist asking.

The mysterious policewoman smirked, as if she were amused by the question.

"_My name is Faith Wecem and you, Violet and Sunny, are coming with me."_

She grabbed Violet and Sunny by the wrists and began to pull them into the police car. Both Baudelaire sisters struggled, Sunny held on to the side of the car with her teeth, which even now were a bit sharper than the average person's teeth.

"_No!"_, she cried.

Faith Wecem pulled Sunny into the back seat of the car, even though it meant leaving two scratch on the side of the car, where Sunny's incisors were pulled away from, making an ear-shattering screech.

"_I think it would be best for everyone, Baudelaires,"_ Faith started, _"if you stop struggling and come with me!"_

**Cross-cut #4**

Klaus was trapped in Mr Poe's office and his lungs were in desperate need for air. He gasped again and again, while Beatrice tilted further and further over the edge of life. The fire had now spread across half of the office. Klaus desperately thought. He couldn't signal to his siblings as all of Mrs Poe's clothes were now black sheets of ash. He backed up and hit the back of his head off something.

Sometimes, when someone says that something hits them, they mean that they had something collide with their body, usually causing them a lot of pain. Others might say that something hit them, using a metaphor which means that they were struck my inspiration. Unlike being struck by a fist or being struck by lightning, being struck by inspiration is a very good thing and it can be a huge relief when it happens in a dire, seemingly-hopeless situation.

The back of Klaus' head was yet another part of his body that was in pain. He turned around to see what he had backed into. It was a bookcase. Klaus was always happy to see a bookcase, but never as much as he was now. Something hit him. Some would argue that the bookcase hit him. Others would say that an idea hit him. Some would say that he was struck by the bookcase. Others would say that he was struck by inspiration.

He looked through some of the books that were in Mr Poe's bookcase.

_The Official Oxford English Dictionary_

_Edgar Guest – The Biography of a Reasonably Okay Poet._

_Banking habits of Winnipeg – Volume F_

_An A-Z of How to Care for your Larynx_

_The Unofficial Oxford English Dictionary_

_The Bible – Banker's Version_

He ripped a few pages out of the Edgar Guest book. It hurt him to have to desecrate a book, but it would be worth it if it would save his life and Beatrice's. He coughed into the pages twice, then got back down to his knees. There was only one way out and that was to crawl all the way back through the flames and back out of the front door, using the pages of the biography to cover Beatrice's face and prevent her from inhaling and smoke.

Klaus only managed to whisper the words, _"This is a long shot, that's for sure,"_ under his breath.

"_Yet it just might work."_

**Cross-cut #4**

Violet protested, _"Please, officer, our brother is still in the bank!"_

Faith turned around and stared at the repulsive sight of the bank, with an orange light protruding from the downstairs windows and an accumulation of smoke escaping through the upstairs windows. All three of them wondered what chances Klaus might have of survival.

Faith turned back at Violet and Sunny, _"Klaus is in there?" _she asked quietly.

Sunny responded impatiently, _"Yes!"_

Violet noticed a tear descending down her check, _"Please, Officer Wecem, he's went back in there and I haven't seen any sign of him since. I know you probably recognise us from those articles in the Daily Punctilio saying that we are murderers and arsonists, but you have to believe me. We're good people and so is our brother. Please let me go in after him and look after Sunny while I do."_

Faith took a deep breath, before reaching a conclusion, "_Sorry, but no."_

Sunny began to cry silently. Violet crouched down to give her a hug. She looked up at Faith. She was hoping for the policewoman to change her mind, but she only shook her head.

"_I'm sorry, Violet. I'm not going to let you run in there to your death. We'll wait here for a couple of minutes for your brother, but if he doesn't come out then you'll have to accept that he's dead and we'll go without him. I'm really sorry, but that's how the world works. I lost a brother in a fire just like this, although it was in a cake shop instead of a bank. It will be hard, but you'll get over it."_

Violet sobbed. She knew that she would not be able to convince the officer to let her go back into the bank. She just stared at it and hoped for the best. She hoped that her genius of a brother would work out away to escape. She even started muttering under her breath.

"_Come on, Klaus."_

**Cross-cut #5**

Klaus crawled through the fire and embers. Beatrice was already unconscious by this point. For all Klaus knew, she could have been dead. He could check later. His first and foremost priority was to get out of the bank. He crawled through the heat and ash and burning fire. His lungs were screaming, demanding air. He wondered if he would be unconscious by the time his body gave in and surrendered his life, or if he would have to face the agony awake.

When he reached the stairs, the middle Baudelaire ended up not crawling down them but falling down them. He rolled down each step and hurt his torso every time he dropped from one step to another. Holding Beatrice tight, he shielded her from the impact of each and every bounce. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, he could see the exit. It seemed to be moving around him, along with the rest of the room. He kept crawling, shielding Beatrice from the brunt of the heat. He had burns everywhere, but he soon stopped feeling them as he faded into half-consciousness at the point. Barely able to see, he followed his instincts. He honesty thought that this was the end. He was going to go down the same way Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire met their demise.

He crawled and crawled and crawled.

Desperately, he crawled for his life.

And for Beatrice's.

He didn't even notice when he reached the exit. He kept crawling until he was lying still on the ground, with Beatrice lying beside him.

**Cross-cut #6**

There was a long silence, which was eventually broken by Faith.

"_There are no signs of any life in there"_, she stated, though Sunny and Violet both already knew this.

Violet shook her head, _"No."_

Faith looked into Violet's eyes. _"Maybe we should just accept that Klaus is dead."_

Violet tensed her shoulders and shook her head again, _"No!"_

Faith put one hand on each of the Baudelaires sisters' shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something, but Violet interrupted.

"_NO!"_

She screamed defiantly. She wished that she had stayed on the island where Kit Snicket and Count Olaf died. Klaus would have still been alive. Beatrice too. She never would have started the mess that ended with all the rest of her friends possibly dying. Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. Fiona and Captain Widdershins. Phil and Hector... Quigley.

She tried to imagine living without her brother. She couldn't, but maybe it was time to face the facts and the facts said that she was never going to see her brother again.

Then she saw a Klaus crawling out of the doors of the Mulctuary Money Management bank.

Could it be?

**The final cross-cut**

Klaus couldn't crawl any more. The world fell silent. His muscles wouldn't work any more. He stared at the ground, as he couldn't gather the strength to turn his head. His vision turned blurry. He regained his hearing for just a moment. He heard footsteps, running over to him. He heard shouting.

"_Klaus! Klaus! Klaus!"_

He recognised the voice. It was his sister, Violet Baudelaire.

Klaus passed out, wondering whether or not he was dying.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Really sorry for the incredibly long wait, especially after a cliffhanger. I will try to get the last three chapters out a bit more quickly and hopefully a sequel after that. (Unless of course I kill off all the main characters. Just something to think about).

**Disclaimer:** I'm sure you are all very impatient to see what happens next, so I'm going to add to the suspense by saying this very slowly: I aaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmm nnnnnnnoooooooooooooottttttt Leeeemooonyyyy Sniiiiiiickeeeeeeeet aaaaaanddd I dooooooo nnnnnnooooooootttttttttt oooooooooownnnnn aaaaaa seeeeeeeeriiiieeeeeeeeeessss ooooooffffffff .

* * *

Klaus' limp body was taken to the house of Faith Wecem, who explained that it was not safe for the Baudelaires to be brought to a hospital considering their status as fugitives. Apparently, even after a year, Geraldine Julienne was still writing about them regularly in the Daily Punctilio, which shocked even the Baudelaires. Violet and Sunny were perplexed by the policewoman's behaviour. They had both assumed that she was simply a policewoman who wanted the fame and the limelight of turning in the infamous Baudelaire murderers and arsonists. However, to the Baudelaires' relief, that was not the case.

Faith lived in a small cottage with her sister, Wonda, who happened to be a nurse. She deduced that despite her young age making her more vulnerable to the fire, Beatrice Snicket was completely fine. Klaus shielded her from the flames, so she only had one visible burn on her body, which was on her leg and very small in itself. Wonda treated the burns all over Klaus' body as best she could and reassured Violet and Sunny that their brother will be okay. She informed them that after a lot of stress, Klaus just needed rest and that he would wake up when he was ready. Nevertheless, the two sisters of Klaus Baudelaire couldn't prevent themselves from feeling a pang of anxiety as Klaus was lying motionless on a bed in the Wecems' house, without showing any signs that he was still alive. After a full year of peace and safety, they were finally reminded what is was like to see a sibling in danger. There were reminded what it was like to see their brother close to death.

When the night arrived, Wonda took in upon himself to talk some sense into Violet and Sunny. They needed rest themselves and the last thing they needed was to exhaust themselves by pining after Klaus until he wakes. When she politely asked the two sisters to go to bed, they had foam in their mouths, a phrase which here means that they were enraged by what the nurse had asked them to do, rather than that they had substances which were formed by trapping gaseous bubbles withing a liquid or solid literally emerging from their mouths.

"_No! We will not abandon our brother!"_ This protest came from a livid Violet Baudelaire, making Wonda Wecem sigh.

"_You know I didn't mean it like that. All I'm saying is that while you're waiting for him to wake up, you need to get some rest yourselves. I promise you that I'll wake you both if your brother shows any signs of returning conscious. Your brother isn't the only one who has been through a lot and he isn't the only one who needs some rest."_

"_But-" _Violet began to protest before she was interrupted.

"_How can we trust you?" _The two arguing women turned around to see that this question came from Sunny. Violet gasped, shocked to hear such a rude statement from her sister, who was usually a very decent and polite girl. This statement was a bolt from the blue, a phrase here meaning that it was very surprising. It doesn't mean in any way that a blue lighting bolt came out of Sunny's mouth as she spoke, electrocuting Violet to death, so I'd like to apologise for any confusion.

It only took a brief moment for Violet to understand what Sunny was saying. _"Exactly! How do we know that you won't kidnap Klaus and run away while we're asleep?"_

"_If I wasn't worthy of your trust, Violet, then wouldn't I have taken you straight to the police?"_ responded Wonda.

I'm sure you have realised by now that Violet Baudelaire is a very observant person. She has on many occasions made stunning inventions out of common, ordinary objects. It is simply a natural ability. When they were alive, the Baudelaire parents were always keen to tell a story from when violet was a young girl, no more than four years old. It was late December and there were only a few days left before Christmas Day. Violet would sit under the Christmas tree, looking at her presents, all covered in wrapping paper. She would spend hours on end measuring the presents with a ruler and by the time Christmas had arrived, Violet had already worked out what was in each and every lump of wrapping paper under the tree, shocking her parents. I can now tell you that a year on a deserted island with only Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice for company hasn't made her any less observant. She noticed something suspicious about what the nurse was saying and she didn't waste any time before blurting it out.

"_How do you know my real name? It says that I'm called Veronica in the Daily Punctilio!"_

Wonda laughed at this accusation, _"Violet, Violet, Violet. If my sister and I believed a word that was written by Geraldine Julienne for the Daily Punctilio, wouldn't we have simply thrown you into jail?"_

Violet was speechless, which isn't a word people usually get to use to describe Violet. She didn't know how to react to this rebuttal. Wonda smiled at the fact that she finally out-smarted that genius that was Violet Baudelaire.

"_Look, Violet. If you don't want to leave Klaus, could you at least get some sleep here? Faith and I can bring down a couple of sleeping bags for you and Sunny."_

Violet and Sunny agreed to this and spent the night lying in their sleeping bags, not ever attempting to fall asleep. Every few minutes, they would turn over to check that Klaus was still there. It felt comforting to be near their brother after the shock that accompanied his injury. However, it also felt disheartening every time they looked at Klaus lying still and they silently prayed that as time passed he would wake up sometime soon and end up being alright.

It was five o'clock in the morning when Sunny finally slept and Violet nodded off shortly after that, but their rest was ruined by nightmares of Klaus dying. They thought about how intelligent Klaus was, how knowledgeable Klaus was, how kind Klaus was, how brotherly Klaus was, how much risk Klaus was willing to put himself in for his sisters and for Beatrice. Most of all, they thought about the melancholy of Klaus not making it and how difficult it will be to move on if Klaus dies. They couldn't help considering whether or not it would actually be possible to live without their beloved brother.

Sunny woke from her disturbed sleep a few hours later to see Wonda standing over Klaus, who was still lying down over the sofa with a blanket over him. Wonda was blocking Sunny's vision of Klaus' face, so Sunny got to her feet and looked at Wonda hopefully, praying that her brother had woken up and was now simply lying down for rest and probably reading an invigorating book.

Wonda looked at Sunny with a frown on her face and shook her head.

However, before Sunny could return to her depressing nightmares, Klaus shocked both Sunny and Wonda by turning over onto his stomach. As he began to lie on one of his burns, he flinched and let out a small groan of pain. As he turned back over, his eyelids began to flutter and soon enough, his eyes opened and Klaus was awake.

"_Where am I? What happened? Is Beatrice okay?"_

Sunny shrieked her brother's name in pure delight.

"_Klaus!"_


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Only two chapters left after this one. I wonder if anyone has figured out who Faith and Wonda really are, because the evidence is there. *wink wink*

**Disclaimer:** I own a series of unforunate events, but not the particular Series of Unfortunate Events that this story is based on.

* * *

"_Klaus!"_

Klaus was overjoyed to hear his younger sister shriek his name.

"_Sunny! What happened? Where are we? Is Beatrice safe? Are y-"_

Klaus learned a valuable life lesson at this point. A lesson which I have learned the hard way just like Klaus did. He learned that after almost dying in a fire, it is best not to ask too many questions when you return to consciousness. Otherwise, you'll end up having a fit of coughing and worrying everyone around you. Klaus ended up coughing louder than Mr Poe used to cough and this worried Wonda and Sunny. Wonda handed Klaus a handkerchief and after a while, he stopped.

"_Uh... so where are we?"_

Klaus examined his surroundings. He was lying on a bed with a blanket over him. Sunny and a woman whom he did not recognise were standing over him with worried looks on their faces and he could see Violet asleep in a sleeping bag next to his bed. He got a fright once he looked under the covers and saw the severity of the burns on his bare chest.

"_Woah!"_

The woman whom he didn't recognise surprised Klaus by chuckling at his reaction.

"_Don't worry. They'll heal. I'm Wonda Wecem, by the way. I'm a nurse and you and your siblings have been staying with me and my sister, Faith."_

"_What about Beatrice." _Klaus couldn't hold in the million-dollar question any longer. Please note that I am using a phrase and the question didn't actually have a monetary value.

"_She's fine. She's asleep in the other room. It's you we were worried about. We were starting to worry that you wouldn't wake up."_

Klaus smiled. The knowledge that his sacrifice was worth something instantly nullified the pain caused his burns. Klaus then realized that he was tired and was facing an urge to fall back asleep. Wonda and Sunny both seemed to notice this. They probably deduced it from the face that he was letting out a huge yawn, even if he didn't notice it himself.

"_You can go back to sleep if you want. We don't mind."_ Klaus was grateful that Sunny politely reassured him.

"_Let's wake Violet up first though. She hardly let you out of her sight when you were unconscious and she'd kill me if she missed you because I made her go asleep." _When Wonda said this, Klaus and Sunny both laughed and at the same time, they both silently thanked Violet for being so loyal to what's left of her family.

Suddenly, Violet was in a boat, sailing across a deadly storm along with Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice. Beatrice was wearing a life jacket, but none of the Baudelaires were. A huge wave almost tipped the boat over and Violet looked at her siblings in panic.

"_We're going to capsize!" _It was Klaus who was the first to speak. Violet could barely hear her brother over the sound of the waves.

"_There's nothing we can do!" _shouted Sunny over the incredibly loud noise.

"_Vi! Kla! Sun! Help!" _Beatrice was crying as she spotted a particularly large wave heading in the direction of their boat.

The wave hit the boat and Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice fell off.

Violet woke up back at the coastal shelf of the island. She saw Klaus' glasses lying in the wreckage. She also noticed Sunny's whisk and the remains of a life jacket that was once worn by Beatrice. It was then when Violet realized how much she cared for her family. She knew that without them, she wouldn't have the will to live. Violet wandered for hours, searching for her family. It took her a whole day to find the dead bodies.

She didn't even scream. She simply stood on the spot, unable to believe that this was happening. Then, she suddenly heard a loud noise.

It was Sunny's idea to wake Violet up by loudly banging a book off the wooden floor right next to Violet's ear. The eldest Baudelaire was woke up in shock. She was relieved to have awoken from her nightmare, but she gave Sunny a murderous look nonetheless.

"_Sunny! I'm going to-" _She couldn't complete her sentence before she was interrupted by her younger sister.

"_Klaus is awake!" _Sunny shouted this in her defence.

Violet looked over at Klaus' bed in hope and Klaus gathered the strength to treat her to a quick wave and a smile.

"_KLAUS!" _Violet screamed when she saw her brother awake. _"I can't believe you're okay!"_

Violet ran up to her brother and gave him a hug. When she did so, Klaus jumped back in pain. Violet felt so stupid when she realized that Klaus was still hurt.

"_Oh, I'm sorry. I was just so relieved to see that you're getting better. We were so worried about you."_

Klaus' eyelids started to lower and he had to force his eyes to remain open for the sake of his sisters. Wonda Wecem didn't miss the motion and decided that it was time for the injured Baudelaire to go back to sleep.

"_That's enough talking for now. How about we leave Klaus alone so he can go back to sleep?"_ Wonda asked.

Violet and Sunny silently agreed and walked out of the room, dragging their sleeping bags with them. They went to visit Beatrice while Klaus moved onto his side to find a position to sleep in which didn't involve the constant pain of lying on one of his burns. Once he accomplished this, it wasn't long before he returned to a deep, peaceful sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait. I did it again! There is only one chapter after this one and I can promise you that I won't take so long to write it because I have already written it. I'll wait a few days before for suspense then I'll post the big conclusion.

**Disclaimer:** I own a series of unforunate events, but not the particular Series of Unfortunate Events that this story is based on. In other words, I'm not really Lemony Snicket.

* * *

You may or may not have heard someone say that they got their feet under the table in a particular situation. This saying has nothing to do with feet or tables. It is merely a phrase used to say that they have gotten familiar in a particular place or situation. Within a few days, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire had their feet under the table in the dwelling of Faith and Wonda Wecem. Klaus was up and about and despite the fact that he still had large and painful burns on his back and chest.

Klaus wasn't upset by the fact that he was injured. He was simply glad that Beatrice was safe and he considered the large, painful burns on his body to be a worthwhile sacrifice. The incident at the bank reminded him that over the past year, the three Baudelaire orphans had really grown close to this young girl, a living representation of their promise to Kit Snicket. Klaus realised at Mulctuary Money Management that he was willing to die for Beatrice and as he slipped out of consciousness, he began to feel like a father.

Living with the Wecems provided the Baudelaires with a pleasure which they were not prepared for. It had been a very long time since they were able to bask in the pleasure of having a parental figure and whenever Faith or Wonda woke them up in the morning, called them for breakfast or asked them how they were feeling, they were reminded of better times. Before they caught in the crossfire between VFD and Count Olaf and before they had to deal with the deaths which haunted their consciences, they lived with their parents, Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire. It was now when they were reminded what it was like to have a watchful pair of adults to keep an eye on them.

It was early in the morning when Klaus walked to the kitchen of his new home in search for something to drink. He had never gotten anything from the kitchen before so he began opening cupboards at random, trying to find where the Wecems stored their cups or glasses. He was taken by surprise when Faith Wecem came into the kitchen. He didn't hear her coming.

"_Oh, Miss Wecem. I'm sorry for intruding. I was just going to get a glass of water. I swear!"_

Faith laughed, _"Don't worry, Klaus. You live here now so you're allowed to walk around. The glasses are in here."_

Faith opened a cupboard and handed Klaus a glass. _"Thank you, Miss Wecem"_, Klaus said.

"_You can call us by our first names too. We won't ever be a family if you keep calling us 'Miss Wecem', will we?" _Faith replied.

"_Oh," _Klaus stuttered, _"Well, thank you... Faith."_

Faith smiled, _"You're welcome, Klaus."_

Klaus got his drink and walked over to meet his sisters. Violet had her hair tied up in a ribbon as she watched the sunrise. Anyone who knew Violet would be able to tell that she was thinking of an invention. In the struggles of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet used her inventive skills to invent many useful gadgets, but there was something relieving when Klaus saw his older sister invention simply for fun. This image convinced Klaus Baudelaire that their troubles were finally over. Little did this young adult know that their troubles were far from over. I am sure that it will pain me to write about what troublesome events will soon happen to the Baudelaires. However, I can tell you that the real troubles do not occur until the next chapter, so you can read the rest of this chapter without worrying about losing your valuable innocence.

Klaus' younger sister, Sunny, was chewing on the side of Violet's bed. Sunny's strong, sharp teeth had saved the Baudelaires on many distinct occasions. Just like he enjoyed watching Violet's inventive gifts being used for fun, Klaus was glad to see Sunny biting simply for enjoyment.

"_I really like it here with Faith and Wonda. It's really nice." _Klaus chose this moment to start a conversation.

"_YES!"_ shrieked Sunny in agreement.

"_I was skeptical and first, but I have to agree with you. The Wecems have been really nice to us since they took us in"_, admitted Violet, putting his ribbon back into her pocket.

"_I can't stop thinking that I have seen them before though,"_ said Klaus, rubbing his chin as he tried to remember why the faces of the Wecems seemed to look so familiar.

"_You're probably just imagining it,"_ Violet told him, _"After all that time looking out for Count Olaf in disguise, your brain is tricking you into believing that you recognise everyone, even after Olaf's death. Like that man in the gas mask, remember him? I never told you this, but I can't escape the thought that I recognised his voice."_

"_Back on the topic of living here," _Klaus began, _"I think that our series of unfortunate events has finally ended. What do you think?" _he asked.

"_I don't know," _admitted Violet glumly.

"_Why?" _asked a curious Sunny.

"_We're in safe hands now," _Klaus told her confidently.

Violet wasn't convinced, _"We thought we were in safe hands with Uncle Monty too, remember? Then Count Olaf came dressed as Stephano. We may not have enjoyed life with Aunt Josephine, but we thought we were safe with her, but then Olaf came as Captain Sham. We were ensured that we would be safe at Prufock Prep because they had some advanced computer that would keep Olaf away... and WHO did Nero sign as the new coach?"_

Unable to bear the thought of going thought more misery, Klaus talked back to his sister, _"That was Olaf though, all those times. Now, Olaf is dead! He's gone! Forever! We'll never have to deal with him again. It's over!"_

Violet still wasn't convinced, _"Remember what Kit Snicket said about there being more terrible people in the world than Kit Snicket. Someone is trying to kill us, Klaus. They sabotaged the Great Unknown. They trapped and possibly killed Quigley and the others. They set the bank on fire and almost killed you and Beatrice. This isn't over. I bet it has something to do with that gas-masked man we saw at the bank. I think that he is the one who's trying to kill us. Maybe someone is paying him to do it. Maybe he's trying to avenge Olaf. Maybe he's trying to avenge one of the people whom we failed to save during our adventures. I don't know why, but he's up to something."_

Klaus sat down grumpily as Sunny nodded in agreement with Violet. Violet noticed how upset she made her brother, so she sat on the chair beside his and she put her hand on Klaus' shoulder.

Klaus sniffed, _"Do you think our troubles will ever be over?"_

Violet sighed. She wanted to cheer Klaus up, but she didn't want to lie to him. She had to be realistic. _"I don't know, but they aren't over now. For all we know, the gas-masked man could be setting this cottage on first as we speak."_

Violet didn't mean that last sentence so literally. As soon as she stopped speaking, all three Baudelaires noticed a strange smell. They smelled the unmistakable smell of smoke. They looked at each other in shock. At first. they hoped that they just smelled something cooking. Then, it dawned on them that the smell wasn't coming from the kitchen. It was coming from one of the Wecems' bedrooms. They were certain that they were smelling smoke and the old saying it true:

**Where there's smoke, there's fire.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Here it is! The final chapter! I'm afraid I'm going to pull a Lemony Snicket and not answer all of your questions, but I have a good reason to do so... to make sure there's a possibility of a sequel! Without further delay, here's the chapter: ** Disclaimer: **For one final time, I am going to tell you that I am not Lemony Snicket and I do not own _'A Series of Unfortunate Events'_. I really thought you'd have gotten the picture by now, a phrase here meaning, _'realised that I'm just some fan-fiction writer who is pretending to be Lemony Snicket for fun'_.

If you still remember the opening chapter of this miserable book, you may or may not remember my examples of Latin phrases which are used by well-read people who happened to avoid dying in fires, as well as Ancient Romans who happened to avoid dying of old age of whatever means of death may have awaited them. I told you about the term '_dum spiro spero_', meaning _'while I breathe, I hope'_. This shows how people can always have hope, no matter how grave the situation is. The Baudelaire orphans, despite their incredibly unfortunate past, hoped that they would all escape from the fire that engulfed the house of Faith and Wonda Wecem. They hoped that their new guardians would also escape and bring them to a brand new home, with lots of tools for Violet to invent with, lots of books for Klaus to read and lots of cooking ingredients for Sunny to experiment with. In short, the Baudelaires hoped that their troubles would end and that they would live happily ever after. The words _'happily ever after'_ can be seen in many fairy tales and as much as it pains me, I will not end this chapter with such untrue words. I'm sorry, but that's how this story goes. I hope that you will put this book down, or close this your internet browser if you happen to be reading this on some sort of bizarre fan-fiction website. I really, really hope that you stop reading now.

Hey! I told you to stop reading.

If you down stop reading after this sentence, you're going to regret it.

Oh, forget it.

The second Latin phrase I informed you about was '_ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt_', which literally translates as _'the fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling'_. This suggests that there are some things that cannot be prevented. For example, Kit Snicket and Count Olaf were meant to be killed by the medusoid mycelium, or the Baudelaires were meant to be separated from the Quagmires, Fiona, Captain Widdershins, Fernald, Phil and Hector. Perhaps what happens at the end of this chapter was meant to be, but that isn't the point.

Last but not least, the third phrase I told you about was '_caveat lector_', a phrase which I told you applied perfectly to this story. I must repeat myself; I can't emphasise enough how appropriate this phrase is for the chapter you are reading right now. It means, _'let the reader beware'_. I'm warning you now, for the last time (or possibly the penultimate time, depending of how impulsive I feel as I finish writing this chapter). Stop reading. Let the reader beware.

**Caveat Lector**

The Baudelaires slowly walked down the hall, past the bathroom and took a peek into the first of the Wecem sisters' bedroom and their it was. It was a fire, blazing just like the inferno that consumed Mr Poe's bank, Mulctuary Money Management. Just like the conflagration that reduced the Baudelaire mansion to cinders and ashes. It was all happening again. Sunny was the first to react.

"_Fire!"_

She called up to the Wecem sisters who ran down the stairs hastily. Seeing the terror and panic in their eyes made Klaus suddenly realize who they really were.

"_I knew I recognised you two. It's you!"_

It was Wonda who answered him with a hint of remorse in her voice, _"I wondered if you were going to recognise us eventually, Klaus. We can't undo the horrible things we did to you long ago, but we're willing to make it up to you. We will be the perfect guardians. You will never experience hardship and treachery again, Baudelaires. Let's get out of here before the fire spreads and we will get a new home. I promise you that this fire will be the last one you will ever have to deal with in your lives."_

Violet had no idea what Wonda and Klaus were talking about. _"What are you talking about? Who are you?"_

Faith wasted no time answering, _"We'll explain later! Where's the fire!"_

Sunny pointed into the bedroom and both Wecem sisters ran inside. Wonda ran out quickly, but Faith waited. She noticed a small object on the floor, not too far away from the blaze. She took her chances by grabbing it off the floor. The Baudelaires saw her sprint out of the room, rapidly shutting the door behind her. She examined the object in her hand and spoke with a seed of fear in her mouth.

"_It's a box of matches..."_

Sunny continued Faith's sentence for her, _"Which means..."_

Wenda looked down at Sunny, then at Klaus and finally at Violet. _"This fire wasn't an accident. Somebody planned this... but who?"_

Klaus wasn't satisfied with the fact that nobody was moving. That was a fire in the house, for goodness' sake and nobody was moving a muscle! Nobody was running for their lives!

"_Okay, now let's get the hell out of here before we all die! Is everyone here? Where's Beatrice?"_

Everyone looked around but there was no sign of Beatrice Snicket, causing an inconvenient amount of panic.

"_Get out, Baudelaires!" _started Faith, _"We'll find Beatrice and get her out of here safely. We promise. This is our chance to pay for our wrong-doings. This is our penance. We will repay you for all the trouble we have caused you, now go! Wonda, you look upstairs. I'll look downstairs!"_

Wonda nodded, _"Let's go then"_.

With nothing more to say, the two sisters left the room, leaving the Baudelaires alone in the hallway. Klaus heard the crackling sound of the fire get louder. When the Baudelaire orphans first noticed the fire, it was concentrated on a small area as they discovered it mere seconds after it had been started. Now, after they wasted time with that conversation, it was spreading. The closed door was holding back the fire, but it wasn't enough to completely strand the flames. It was crystal clear that they had to leave immediately. Of course, _'crystal clear' _is simply a phrase meaning that it was very clear, even though I haven't found any evidence that there were any crystals involved.

"_It's crystal clear that we have to leave now!" _shouted Violet over the repulsive crackling sound,_ "The Wecems will find Beatrice for us. They've been nice to us so far, so we can trust them!"_

Klaus shook his head, _"I'm not so sure."_

Sunny interrupted him, _"We have to leave now!"_

Klaus ignored his younger sister and continued, _"I didn't recognise them at first without the white powder all over their faces... Faith and Wenda Wecem were associates of Count Olaf."_

Violet was dumbfounded. _"Of course! The white-faced women... They're policewomen now?"_

Sunny was growing impatient, _"Now!"_

Violet noticed that she was having a harder time breathing. Smoke was filling the air. The closed door had blocked it off, but the fire had found another route to reach the Baudelaires. Violet saw the wall collapse beside her. The fire was simply eating its way through the house to get to them. Violet decided that it was decision time.

"_Sunny is right. Let's get out."_ she announced calmly.

But Violet didn't want to leave. There were things she didn't know. She may not have been as much of a reading enthusiast as Klaus was, but Violet Baudelaire was still a well-read person and she hated not knowing. She wanted to know who could enter the house, start a fire, and leave without any of the six people in the house noticing. She wanted to know who could enter the Great Unknown, sabotage it perfectly and leave without being seen. Who was it who could always stay in the shadows, no matter how many people were lurking? Who was it who could kill in the middle of a crowd?

That was when she took a quick look into the kitchen and observed that the back door was open. She knew for a fact that it wasn't earlier. That was the arsonist's route of entry and escape. There was no back garden and no wall dividing the Wecems' property from the hill behind it. It was there where she saw a figure in the distance walking away casually. She wanted nothing more than to know who it was. She wanted to know...

Violet put her hand on Klaus' shoulder, _"Klaus... take Sunny and go. Get a safe distance away from here. I will join you shortly."_

Klaus protested, _"But-"_

Violet didn't let him get any further, _"Go, Klaus!"_

Without arguing any more, Klaus picked Sunny up and they got away before the smoke got too thick, but for Violet it was a different story. She coughed and choked as she struggled to get through to the kitchen. She imagined how Klaus must have felt in the burning bank, breathing in the smoke almost to a lethal capacity. Klaus risked his life for the greater good and now it was Violet who was doing the same. When she finally got out the back door, she took in a gulp of fresh air and the euphoria that came with it was too strong for the average person to imagine.

The arsonist had under-estimated them. He should have sprinted away as fast as he could, from the moment he got out of the house. On the contrary, he didn't run at all. He walked away and therefore, he was close enough to the house for Violet to catch up to him, if she was quick. It seemed so long ago, but she realised that she was still a fast runner from her SORE exercises in Prufock Prepatory School with Coach Genghis, who happened to be Count Olaf in disguise.

By the time the arsonist realised that Violet was chasing him, it was too late. The eldest Baudelaire was exhausted, but she wasn't going to give up now that she was so close. She had the dedication to keep going. She managed to catch up to the arsonist and push him off his feet.

It was the gas-masked man whom she saw in the bank right before the fire started.

He stood up and smiled underneath his gas mask. _"Violet Baudelaire! We meet again."_

Violet caught her breath, _"Who... are you?"_

He responded, _"I am the man who will kill you. If not now, then sometime soon. I've attempted to kill you three times now, Violet. I sabotaged the Great Unknown, yet you escaped. I burned down that fool Mr Poe's bank, yet you survived. Now, the house of a couple of old friends of mine is being burned down as we speak... yet here you are, safe and sound. I'm going to murder you, Violet Baudelaire. I'm going to thrust a knife into you and cherish the look of self-mourning on your face. I'm going to watch as whatever life is left in you is slowly drained away. You will get weaker and weaker and weaker and weaker and weaker. Eventually, you will be still... forever. Then, I will murder your brother and your sister and if she survived, that fool Kit Snicket's daughter!_

Violet was speechless,_ "Why?"_

The gas-masked man took a couple of steps backwards, _"That's the only way you volunteers can get the quiet world you so desperately desire. There is only one way through which your series of unfortunate events can ever truly end, Violet... at the tip of a knife. I will see you very soon."_

As the gas-masked man motioned that he was about to run away, Violet lashed out at him. She grabbed his gas mask, kicked him in the genitals and removed the mask. Violet got one quick glance at the arsonist's face, before he grabbed her hair and used it to throw her onto the ground. The arsonist ran away and Violet couldn't find the willpower to chase after him anymore. She heard him shout one more think at her before he tan out of her sight.

"_Until next time, Baudelaire!"_

Violet took her time getting up to her feet. She was submerged in self-pity. She wanted to lie there on the ground and never get up. The one result she got from that encounter was that she got one looks at the arsonist's face. She had just enough time to notice one detail about him. He had one eyebrow, rather than two. She couldn't stop thinking about who he might have been. That was, however, until she heard her brother calling her name.

"_Violet!"_

She turned around saw Klaus and Sunny running up to her.

"_Klaus! Sunny are you alright?"_

Sunny noticed the gas mask lying beside Violet and asked her, _"What happened?"_

"_I'll explain later."_

She wished that Sunny and Klaus could simply ignore the gas mask and not ask her anything about what had just happened. However, she knew that he wish was impossible.

"_You're crying." _Sunny pointed out.

Violet felt her cheek and noticed that her younger sister was correct. There were tears flowing freely down her face and she never even noticed.

"_I'm... fine. Where's Beatrice?"_

Sunny silently looked at the ground and Klaus sighed before reluctantly breaking the news to his sister, _"There's no sign of her. Or the white-faced women."_

Violet's face tensed and she finally understood how Klaus felt back when they escaped from the bank. She found a new source of determination and spoke:

"_I have to go after her!"_

Klaus held her back, _"Anyone in that cottage is dead! Look at it, Violet. Just look!"_

Violet did as her brother instructed and saw the point he was trying to make. Not long ago, the fire was concentrated in one area and the smoke was only beginning to fill the air. Now, there was smoke bursting out of the building and the whole house had been engulfed by flames. The was no point going in there. It dawned upon her that unless one of the white-faced women had escaped with her, then Beatrice Snicket was likely already dead.

That was when a small glimmer of hope arrived, as one of the white-faced women, Faith Wecem, ran out of the back door of the house, holding a small baby in her arms. She ran all the way up to the Baudelaires, before dropping down to her knees and gently placing Beatrice on the grass.

Klaus literally jumped with joy, _"You found her!"_

Faith nodded, gasping for breath. She forced herself up to her feet and said, _"I'm going back... I think Wonda is still in there."_

Sunny intruded, _"You can't."_

Faith wasn't even able to look at the Baudelaires. Her face was covered with tears, _"I can. If I must risk my life, then so be it. This is my penance. I'm so sorry, Baudelaires. I really am."_

_**Caveat Lector**_

Faith ran back to the house and there was nothing any of the Baudelaires could have done to stop her. Klaus crouched down and picked up Beatrice, taking a good look at her for the first time since the fire.

He was crushed to see her this way. All three siblings looked in and all three siblings cried to see Beatrice in such a state. There was a huge burn mark running across her face. She was completely unconscious, with her eyes closed. She was lying still in Klaus' arms.

She looked so horrible. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

Or was she?

It dawned upon the Baudelaires that Beatrice wasn't breathing.

**I warned you**


End file.
